2024 EPL Roundup: Man City Break English Record
One for the Record Books in the Premier League
Title Race Went Down to Final Day
Arsenal gave Manchester City a run for their money this season but it was the Cityzens who won the 2023-24 Premier League, by two points. With their EPL crown, Man City became the first team to win four straight English top-flight titles. City grabbed headlines in another excellent campaign but Aston Villa finished high enough to return to the Champions League for the first time in over 40 years. We’ll discuss City, Arsenal, Villa, and more in our 2024 EPL Roundup.
Guardiola’s Man City Nearly Unstoppable
Manchester City’s depth is typically one of their biggest strengths but one player’s absence spelled disaster for City this season. When Rodri didn’t play this season, Manchester City went 1-3 in the Premier League. When the defensive midfielder was available, City went 26-7-0 and deservedly won a record fourth straight EPL title.
Kevin De Bruyne was out with a long-term injury until January but the play of Phil Foden softened the blow. Erling Haaland also missed some time but the Norwegian striker managed to score 27 goals in 31 EPL fixtures this season.
Manchester City conceded fewer than one goal per game for a seventh straight season under Pep Guardiola. The Spanish coach has now won six EPL titles and there are rumors that his time in English football could be ending as early as next Summer. The 115 financial breaches City have been accused of put somewhat of a stain on their titles but it is unclear if they’ll be punished.
Arsenal Close Second, Villa Make Top Four
Our 2024 EPL Roundup notes that Arsenal set a club record with 28 wins this season. The Gunners went 28-5-5 and finished in second, just two points behind Man City in a title race that went to the final day. Mikel Arteta is building something special with the Gunners and players like Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel, William Saliba, Kai Havertz, Ben White, and David Raya all had excellent campaigns.
Liverpool finished in third place in Jurgen Klopp’s last season as manager, as they also won the EFL Cup. Arne Slot will take over from next season as the Reds look to challenge in the Premier League and Champions League with or without Mo Salah.
Unai Emery has done an outstanding job with Aston Villa, as they finished in the top four for the first time since 1996. Ollie Watkins had an excellent season, with 19 goals and 13 assists. Next season will be Villa’s first in the UCL/European Cup since 1982-83.
Tottenham showed signs of brilliance under Ange Postecoglou but were just too inconsistent to get into the top four. Spurs finished in fifth place and will return to European football in the Europa League next season.
Chelsea had a poor first half of the season but were the league’s fourth-best team after Boxing Day. Cole Palmer was the Blues’ standout performer as Chelsea finished in sixth place. Because Manchester United won the FA Cup, Chelsea will play in the 2024-25 UEFA Europa Conference League.
Newcastle (7th) just missed out on European competition, while Manchester United (8th) had their worst league campaign in 34 years. West Ham (9th) and Crystal Palace (10th) rounded out the top half. Palace were especially good after Oliver Glasner’s appointment in February.
All Three Promoted Teams Relegated
For the first time since the 1997-98 season, all three newly promoted teams went straight back down to the EFL Championship. Sheffield United (20th) conceded the most goals ever in a Premier League season, with 104. Burnley (19th) tried to play a progressive style under now-Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany, but perhaps more pragmatism was in order.
Luton Town (18th) were an exciting team to watch but they finished six points from safety. Nottingham Forest (17th) managed to survive despite a four-point deduction and they’ll be watching their backs again next season.
Brentford (16th) were much better after Ivan Toney returned from his gambling suspension in January. Next season will be their fourth straight in England’s top flight. Everton’s final position (15th) belies their performances this season. The Toffees had the league’s fourth-best defense and finished 14 points outside of the relegation zone despite a six-point deduction.
Wolves (14th) had some injury problems toward the end of the season that sent them free-falling down the table. Fulham (13th) will be content to finish near mid-table every campaign but they don’t have much depth at this point.
Bournemouth (12th) failed to win any of their first nine matches under Andoni Iraola but the Spaniard ended up guiding them to their highest-ever EPL point total. Brighton (11th) had a disappointing campaign laden with injuries and ending in Roberto De Zerbi’s departure.
While Sheffield United, Burnley, and Luton Town are all going down to the Championship, Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton earned promotion to the Premier League.
Haaland Wins Golden Boot, Foden Player of Season
Once again, Erling Haaland finished first in the Premier League rankings for goals. The Norwegian scored 27 times in what many described as a “down” campaign. If winning the Golden Boot is considered a poor year, the 23-year-old should have plenty of excellent seasons ahead of him.
His teammate Phil Foden was the EPL Player of the Year. Foden scored twice on the final day of the season to seal the Premier League title. He finished the campaign with 19 goals and eight assists and was an integral part of Guardiola’s team.
It was a surprise when David Raya replaced Aaron Ramsdale as Arsenal’s starting goalkeeper. However, Raya swiftly repaid Mikel Arteta’s faith in him. The Spanish international kept 16 clean sheets in 32 matches and conceded just 24 goals.
Many didn’t know what to expect when Cole Palmer joined Chelsea from Manchester City last Summer. Palmer has already lived up to his €47 million price tag by scoring 22 goals and dishing out 11 assists. He deservedly won the Premier League’s Young Player of the Year Award.
Unsurprisingly, Guardiola won another Manager of the Year award. He’s won the award five times since joining City in 2016.
Sneak Peek at 2024-25
Our 2024 EPL Roundup wouldn’t be complete without looking ahead to next season’s odds. At the moment, the Premier League betting odds price Man City as -110 favorites to win an unprecedented fifth straight title. Arsenal (+225) and Liverpool (+800) are once again expected to represent City’s biggest competition.
